Searching for the Light
by RomaHeta Ruined My Life
Summary: All was calm, until several country's famous landmarks were stolen! Now, the affected countries will stop at nothing to get them back, maybe even at the cost of a few lives. But all is not as it seems... After all, who knows who you can trust? Critique on grammar is appreciated. No ships. Gore starting in chapter 5. Rated T for language. R&R please!
1. The Beginning of the End

France was taking a morning stroll through the bustling city streets of Paris, saying quick, friendly hellos to his people but something just seemed… off. He couldn't quite place it, but after coming to the place he would have normally seen a big plaza with his famous monument, it hit him like a rock.

"Sacrableu! Where is the Eiffel Tower?!" he exclaimed, as he swore he felt his heart skip a beat. Everyone in the plaza seemed to be wondering the same thing, looking up at the blue sky and empty ground, muttering curses and pained statements alike. One man was skipping with joy about the "hideous thing" being gone, but everybody chose to ignore him. France sprinted home and sent an e-mail to all the countries:

"_S.O.S. my beautiful Eiffel Tower is gone! It disappeared in the middle of the night without a trace! If you see it, please alert moi ASAP! I can't bear to see my people this distraught for much longer! –Francis Bonnefoy"_

* * *

Meanwhile in London, England woke up to obnoxious beeping to which he responded with a quick "shut up" and a heavy slap to the snooze button. After ten minutes the shrill beep returned and this time England groggily lifted himself out of his covers and turned off his alarm. He sat for about two minutes just repeatedly smacking his lips trying to rid himself of the terrible taste of morning breath. With a stretch, England straightened his back with a satisfying "pop" and looked out the window.

"Ah, good morning London!" he exclaimed happily before his eyes fully focused and he let out a panicked scream. "My God someone took Big Ben! Who would ever do such a thing I swear I'll find the bloody git that did this and rip him limb from limb!" he angrily screeched while slinging his legs over the side of his twin sized bed and stumbling over to his closet before deciding to wear a plain maroon shirt accented by a British flag scarf and navy blue jeans. Speeding through his daily routines with more force than usual, while eating breakfast he pulled out his phone when he felt a vibration in his pocket.

Pulling out his iPhone he opened up his mail and read:

"_S.O.S. my beautiful Eiffel Tower is gone! It disappeared in the middle of the night without a trace! If you see it, please alert moi ASAP! I can't bear to see my people this distraught for much longer! –Francis Bonnefoy"_

With a snort England almost laughed at France's predicament when he remembered his own situation earlier. He frowned and furrowed his eyebrows pondering the odds of this happening to two countries before sending out his own e-mail:

"_Same here, Frog. Big Ben has gone missing; no wonder I had such a peaceful sleep! I found out this morning when I woke up; nasty surprise, I tell you but that's another story. Right now we must focus on finding out who could take two large landmarks at once. –Arthur Kirkland"_

Now that England was about level with the ground he looked out to find it was raining again. Ignoring that he looked at where Big Ben once stood to find the foundation had been ripped out as well, leaving a large gaping hole in the ground. With a heavy sigh he trudged upstairs to get his black overcoat, leaving his quickly cooling cup of tea on the table.

* * *

Italy and Romano had decided that day to check up on Romano's citizens and see if all was well. Thanks to the former's pulling, they had ended up in Rome first and where currently having a pleasant chat with a middle-aged woman. After saying their goodbyes, Italy again started dragging Romano in the direction of the Coliseum; Italy saying it was "because even if they're not your people, tourists need to be welcomed too."

Upon almost reaching their destination they found it was too quiet to be healthy. Rounding another corner, Italy gasped in surprise with Romano's face frozen in shock soon after. Minutes of standing like this, Romano broke the silence by coughing after catching a fly in his mouth. Italy looked over at his brother, awaiting the imminent explosion.

"WHO THE FUCK WOULD TAKE A HUGE NATIONAL MONUMENT? WHO IN THE RIGHT MIND WOULD EVEN ATTEMPT IT?! NOBODY, THAT'S WHO. I BET IT WAS ONE OF THOSE FUCKING POTATO BASTARDS THEY'VE ALWAYS HAD IT OUT FOR ME. OR MAYBE IT WAS ONE OF THOSE SHIT KIDS THAT CALL THEMSELVES "MICRO-NATIONS" WHEN THEY'RE LEADER IS A FUCKING SEA FORT. WELL THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS ARE GOING TO REGRET IT BECAUSE ONCE YOU GET THIS ITALIAN PISSED YOU DON'T GET HIM CALMED DOWN YOU HEAR ME YOU GODDAMN FUCKS!" ranted Romano, throwing his head back at the last bit. Italy only calmly slid over muttering calming phrases in Italian and patting his brother's back while checking his mail with his other hand. Italy looked at the two messages with dismay as he realized that England and big brother France where having similar problems. Seeing as Romano was still screaming incoherently, Italy took it upon himself to reply to the messages:

"_France, England, my brother and I just found out the Coliseum was taken too. Romano is screaming and it's sort of funny but in a bad way. Does that make me a bad person? I hope Germany and Japan aren't having any trouble. I would have to agree with England. We should find out who the culprit is. –Feliciano and Lovino Vargas"_

Looking back at his brother who was now on his knees, hot angry tears streaming down his face as saliva flew from his lips, Italy dragged him into a taxi and took them both home.

* * *

Germany stared blankly at his phone, trying to absorb the information while idly sipping his coffee. He made a mental note to visit his biggest attractions today and see if anything was missing. There was a loud thump and Prussia trudged up the stairs from the basement, his hair in total disarray and a faint trail of dried up drool connecting his lips and lower jaw. With squinted eyes, said Prussian looked over to his brother and muttered a quick greeting before trudging upstairs and squeezing past Austria to the bathroom. Moments later, Austria slid down the stairs in his silk pajamas on his stomach, feet slung over his buttocks in a lazy fashion. Germany looked over at him with a questioning look and which in return Austria just looked over and shook his head to silence any comments before taking a good eight minutes to slither over to one of the open chairs and slam a mug down in a demand for coffee.

Germany tucked away his phone before complying with Austria's demand and poured him some dandelion coffee before finishing his plate of eggs and sausage and placing them in the sink to wash later. Soon after, Prussia came down the stairs in a slightly less comical manner than Austria, at least attempting to support himself on the banister. Shuffling in his puffy duck slippers to the seat across from Austria, he sat with a loud thump and picked up his own mug. Looking inside for any abnormalities, he poured himself some coffee, emptying the pot. Wordlessly, Germany carried over a plate of eggs and sausage to both Austria and Prussia before disturbing the silence.

"Why do you two look so tired and depressed this morning?" Germany inquired with crossed arms and a stern gaze.

Prussia lifted his head up from his breakfast and answered simply, "I accidentally stayed on Tumblr all night." To prove this, he whipped out his phone (the most energetic act he had performed all morning) and opened up his blog to show there were posts going up until 4:46 AM which was presumably when Prussia passed out in exhaustion.

Austria snapped back his head after almost face planting into his eggs and answered Germany with, "I just feel like a piece of my soul is missing."

Germany should've guessed Prussia would stay up all night looking at that blue screen of death, but Austria's answer was a little unexpected. Concluding either Hungary left him last night or the fact when Austria called at 11 PM about being lost and Germany hung up was the cause of his depression. With a sigh, Germany decided to apologize about the latter incident.

"Look, I'm sorry for not going to pick you up last night," Germany stated, leaning against the polished marble counter and casually finishing his coffee.

Austria's eyes brightened a little at this, chuckling before answering, "Oh it's fine, Germany. Turns out I never left the front lawn!" He let out a hearty guffaw before going back to eating daintily. Germany just stared before coughing awkwardly into his hand and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Germany decided going to town would be a good idea right now.

Getting into his tiny yellow Volkswagen Beetle and squeezing his brawny shoulders in, he set off. Stopping at a red light, he remembered he probably wasn't going to be home for a few hours so he texted Prussia:

"Going out to see something. Be back in a few hours. Try to get Austria to do dishes. If he doesn't, you do them. When the chores are done text me back and I'll give you today's Wi-Fi password."

Just as he put his phone back into the proper pocket in his laptop bag the light turned green and Germany started towards his first destination again.

Prussia had just put his and Austria's plates into the sink along with their mugs when his phone played a happy chick noise. Looking at the text, he sighed and pocketed his phone again.

"Yo, Austria wash the dishes."

"No."

"West said to do them."

"You do them."

"No you."

"You."

With a defeated sigh, Prussia turned towards the sink but then swiftly sprinted to the living room and dragged Austria to the sink and held him there until Austria half-heartedly did the dishes.

* * *

Several hours later, Germany returned home with no news about his country, but something strange happening in Austria.

"Yo West, where were you?" Prussia asked nonchalantly from the couch.

"I decided to investigate my country to see if there were any missing landmarks," Germany replied from the hallway, slipping off his boots and proceeding to the living room. "Although I may have found something that explains Austria's behavior, apparently all the musical instruments in Austria have disappeared somehow."

Austria whipped his head to face Germany with wide eyes before promptly fainting on the spot. Germany and Prussia only stared at him before a quiet "carry me to my room" was heard. Germany huffed, picked up Austria, and carried him away before replying to the e-mail thread:

"_I haven't found anything wrong in Germany, strangely enough. Although in Austria all the musical instruments have gone missing. Austria's become depressed at this. We'll hold an emergency world meeting tomorrow. –Ludwig Beilschmidt"_

After sending that Germany decided he would be the host country and sent out another e-mail to every country he could:

"_EMERGENCY WORLD MEETING TO BE HELD TOMORROW AT TWO PM IN BERLIN, GERMANY. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR COUNTRY'S MOST FAMOUS LANDMARKS BEFORE THE MEETING. IF ANYTHING IS OUT OF THE ORDINARY EXPLAIN AT THE MEETING. __TRY TO KEEP ORDER__ THIS TIME AS THERE IS MUCH WORK TO BE DONE .-LUDWIG BEILSCHMIDT"_

With that taken care of, Germany went to go reserve the normal meeting room and begin necessary preparations.

* * *

A/N: Alright thank you for clicking on my second fanfiction! I'm not sure how long this thing will be but I will be sure to try to make chapters consistently long. I'll also make sure to include the world meeting, who's been affected, finding the culprit, defeating the culprit, and an epilogue. So assuming those will have one chapter each, this will be at least six chapters. This plot bunny has been sitting around for a while so yeah e-e Also, Germany has a yellow Volkswagen Beetle because people thought it would be funny. Ack I hate how FF doesn't let me put in indents. But I guess it just makes my job a bit easier.

Please leave a review and who you think the culprit so far with the tiny amount of info given! Who knows? The culprit might be someone who's been affected!


	2. Everything is Dull

Germany had just finished organizing his paperwork and was currently sitting in his regular seat at the conference table. Slowly, the other countries trickled through the doors and sat down at their assigned seats. Light chatter filled the room with England and France's voices rising above the rest until nobody could even hear their own thoughts anymore. The situation got worse when America's obnoxious voice joined in to split up the fight only to fail. Because of that uproar, everyone else started talking more loudly too until Germany, teeth grit and hands curled into fists roared a command for everyone to kindly shut up.

"We have come here to discuss missing landmarks, not bicker about pointless details and socialize! England, sit on this end of the table, France you sit over there! America, next to me, this instant! Everybody else, sit down and listen up!"

The room started quieting down as all eyes turned to Germany. Long after everyone else had silenced, a voice could still be heard behind Lithuania and Latvia. Germany's eyes skimmed the crowd for the source until he settled on a white-haired male with pale skin and a grin on his face.

"Prussia please shut your mouth and get out. You're not even a country anymore so you have absolutely no reason to attend this meeting, kapeesh?!" ordered Germany while swinging an arm over America's head towards the large mahogany double doors. Prussia looked over mid-sentence before throwing a glare over his shoulder as he trudged out the doors. Germany instantly regretted his harsh wording but much work was to be done so instead he texted Prussia the Wi-Fi password to keep him entertained at home for a while.

"Alright, now that I have your attention we can begin the meeting…"

* * *

Prussia was sulking down the long corridor listening to the sound of the doors being shut and his brother's deep voice in the distance. Letting out a breath he had been holding he straightened his posture and briskly walked out of the building. Prussia skimmed the passing citizen's faces and saw happy faces, completely unaware of the other countries' situation. A few tourists were looking troubled as they tucked away expensive looking phones and talked in hushed voices to one another.

"Hey Mommy, why does that man look so weird?"

Prussia locked his gaze onto a small child with dirty blonde hair and highlights looking between her mother and him with large curious hazel orbs. The mother glanced up at him then quickly took her daughter's hand and ushered her away into the crowd whispering things about undesirables and health problems.

Now Prussia knew why everyone was either staring at him, laughing, or worried. Staring because he was different, laughing because he wasn't their standard of normal, worried because they weren't brave enough to stand up for him. Even though he caught all their looks, they really only stopped for a few seconds before scuttling away to whatever horrible hole they had crawled out of. Not everybody stared, true but it was enough for Prussia to quickly flip the bird at them and run to the nearest bus stop.

The bus stopped about a block away from his and Germany's shared home. The ride was horrible. Now that he had nowhere to run, everyone could stare silently and he hated it. Prussia had chosen an empty seat at the front of the bus so people wouldn't see him as he walked up the isle to the exit. But he could feel their stares boring into the back of his head. Prussia simply chose to ignore and scrunched up his nose in a silent snarl. At his stop, before anyone in the far back could see him he jumped up and leaped out of the bus, stumbling a bit on the sidewalk. And so he started the short walk home.

Reaching the doorstep he jammed the key in the hole and turned the knob, slamming the door shut as he stomped in. Just going outside made him remember why social interaction was something he tried to avoid. Slumping against the door he took a look at himself to see why anybody would make fun of the awesome him.

That day Prussia decided since he wasn't too concerned about the missing landmarks he'd dress simply –navy blue converse sneakers, dry denim pants, a sky blue GAP sweater with a few brown stains from roughhousing, and a gray graphic tee underneath that said "Holla at my Peeps" with mentioned sugary sweets in the middle. He didn't understand, this was casual garb; normal garb. Next he stared at his palms. Rough from years of military work, hard calloused fingers, and a bit of dirt under his fingernails. These hands were something to be proud of, not made fun of. With a screech of anger he kicked the door and tore off his shoes. _Society sickened him, laughing simply because his hair was too light and his eyes too bright. Nobody laughed at Italy, Romano, Austria, America, or any of the others for their abnormal ahoges. Nobody questioned England's eyebrows. Canada's sparkling amethyst eyes. But for some reason, his hair and eyes, something which could be explained with a medical problem, were probed and ogled at._

Having a moment of clarity, Prussia realized it he was overreacting once again. The light must've been getting to him; of course someone would stare if a man burst through the doors unexpectedly in front of a crowded street. And he didn't get out much, so it must've seemed like he was a new face. Running a hand through his hair he reminded himself to just enjoy the day.

Strolling casually through the hall to the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down. He turned around and in one swift movement went to grab his phone from the table. Unfortunately, he missed and instead knocked his phone flying off the table to the tiled floor with his face following suit. Today was not going well at all. Grunting, Prussia lifted himself back on his feet and picked up his phone before heading down to the basement. He booted up his computer and checked his phone for any new messages. He looked down and smirked, looked like West was finally going to give in to his awesome dream influencing. Not that he does that of course.

"_Prussia sorry about sounding so harsh, in return here is today's Wi-Fi password: siesinddieessenundwirsiediejager"_

Man, West really had a bad habit of picking long passwords. After entering the excruciatingly long password, Prussia logged into his blog to post another update:

"_Got kicked out of the meeting today for talking too awesomely #YOLO"_

Prussia grinned with satisfaction and the short message and continued scrolling through his dashboard.

* * *

A/N: Yeah I know this isn't as long as last chapter, but I sorta wanted to give Prussia some time alone and handle the meeting in another chapter. Now, I already have most of this story envisioned and I think there will be blood later but no gore or character death. My bbys are too precious. After all, epic fight scenes are a must! I can tell you the Axis and Allies will definitely be some of the people fighting with a few of their friends.


	3. Everything in Black and White

Everybody watched Prussia leave with his head raised high, but his shoulders slumped low. As if on signal, Japan silently stood up and shut the doors with a loud click. Once he was seated again, all eyes turned to Germany.

"Alright, er, now that Prussia's left we can discuss important matters. I would like you to stand up in Alphabetical order and state if anything is off about your country. We shall start with America," Germany explained and sat down while America stood up.

"Alright, so, hearing about this mass catastrophe I decided to check out my capital, you following me? But when I get there, I find out some wacky shit happened. Kay so my plane lands just a few miles away at an airport, I get out, get a taxi, and whoa! Whole darn thing's gone! Washington D.C.'s just a big hole in the ground; can you believe it? I know I can't but that's what's going on over here. Alright I'll pass the baton to my good buddy, Australia!"

"Okay, mates, it seems as though my Sydney Opera House has gone missing! She was a real beaut' and not seeing her has been as painful as a kick to the ribs. I'd be mighty appreciative if you guys would tell me if you see her! Alright time for you to shine, Austria!"

"As Germany has already informed you all, my musical instruments have all disappeared. Belarus, your turn."

"Nyet, nothing is wrong. It's big brother Russia's turn now."

"Oh, no Belarus it's not my turn yet, give Belgium a chance to speak~"

"Thank you, Russia. I was going to my favorite waffle place this morning and I picked up the newspaper. It wasn't even Sunday but what do you know? They whipped out a whole newspaper on the waffle houses all getting up and walking away! Anyway, it's not too big a deal my people have all learned to make waffles with styrofoam if they have to. Er… China's next!"

"U-Um… Actually it's my turn… Belgium… And I just have to say I've been affected too…"

All heads turned towards the source of the small voice to see… America? No, wait that wasn't America it was Canada, right?

"Canada, you gotta speak louder dude! Guys how'd you almost forget about Canada? He's the hero's hat!" America piped in.

"Thank you, for telling them who I am, Alfred. As America just said, my name's Canada and for your information I took part in World War II alongside the Allied Forces. I regret to inform you all my famous H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is missing along with all the expensive technology inside. It's a great loss to our country but I assure you all we'll work through it with dignity and grace. Although the matter does not particularly concern me, I would like to take part in any effort against the offender. Thank you for your time, I call on China to speak."

"Aiyah! You wouldn't believe it! The whole Great Wall vanished! That was a great tourist attraction and a historically important landmark! I will use the culprit's body in my next recipe to feed Hong Kong, aru! Denmark your turn, I'm tired of this!"

"Well, I was taking a looksee around my country and I notice that Frederiksborg Palace is gone! Just poof into thin air! And that's really all that happened. A fly flew into my hot cocoa, though… Egypt your turn!"

"Well, nothing's out of place where I live… Estonia's turn."

"Hm, I only have one landmark and it's still here so everything's in order! Finland, you're up!"

"Capitals are the very heart of the nation, as you all know. But yesterday when I went to go check around, Helsinki Cathedral was gone! Oh, I'm just so worried about all the other Nordics… Oh, France, it's your turn!"

"My Eiffel Tower is gone… That's all you need to know. Germany you take over for moi."

"Nothing is out of order in my country. Greece, wake up and state any abnormalitites!"

"H-Huh? Oh… Nothing is weird as far as I know… Hungary's turn… Zzzzz"

"Budapest Castle Hill is missing. That is all, Iceland's turn."

"Nothing. Italy brothers your turn."

"Ve, well, the Coliseum's gone."

"Along with my hopes and dreams."

"Yeah, Romano's pretty upset. Ooh, it's Japan's turn! Go Japan!"

"Mt. Fuji has been taken away. The only remnants are the base and that's not much. Also, if I may be so bold, I would say Romano-kun's kokoro is brokoro… Bad joke, I know, Latvia-san's turn."

"S-Same as Estonia, everything's normal… Eh, Liechtenstein's turn!"

"I'll be speaking for both her and me."

"B-Big brother, that's not necessary. I am my own country so how about this time I speak for you, too?"

"Urk, alright…"

"Big brother Switzerland and I have encountered no problems. Lithuania's turn now."

"Oh, it seems the Baltic Trio encountered no problems. I guess we're just lucky, hehe… Netherlands?"

"No significant changes. How about you, New Zealand?"

"Ah, our sheep populations declined a bit, but at least it's less crowded! So everything's hunky dory over here! Norway?"

"The Industrial Workers Museum is missing. Poland."

"Like, Malbork Castle is gone! It totally disappeared without a trace! Romania what unfabulous place did you lose?"

"Dracula's Castle is missing… My dark lord needs to return… Ignore me, Russia it's your turn."

"Nyet, nothing! Uhu, I guess I was just lucky! South Korea's turn, da?"

"We're all fine, da-ze! Spain next!"

"The Royal Palace of Madrid is gone… I can't stand whoever did this! Sweden's up…"

"The Swed'sh Mus'm of Nation'l 'nt'quit's is missing. But m' w'fe and I w'll get through it. T'wan?" (A/N: I hope you can still understand him, I hate when people overdo the accent! Anyway, the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities is missing.))

"No, everything's good. Thailand?"

"I wasn't so lucky, the Grand Palace is missing! Turkey?"

"Some thief took Hagia Sophia! It was a great tourist attraction and now nobody can enjoy it! Ms. Ukraine, it's your turn."

"Uh, nothing to report! It seems the Soviet Union was all spared! England?"

"Hey wait a minute why am I at the bottom?!"

Germany could feel a headache coming on with all this new information and England's complaints. "Look England, the reason you're on the bottom is because you're registered as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, okay? Now just state what's missing and we can move on."

"But America should be after me! He's the United States of America, not just America!"

"Woah England calm your nonexistent tits, I can be just America if I want to!"

"No you can't! There's a North America and a South America, I think you need to clarify your name!"

"Both of you just stop fighting!"

"Sorry Germany…"

"Sorry Germany, please pardon my unruly behavior. Now as I was supposed to say, Big Ben is missing as you know. It makes my blood boil to think someone would just take something from the great pirate, England!"

"But… You're not a pirate anymore…"

"Shut your pie-hole!"

"Shut up! Now that we've gone through everybody, we can try to figure out who the culprit is. Any objections?" Germany gave everybody a stare down before continuing, "Alright, now, does anyone have any ideas?"

England raised his hand, "Yes, I believe the micro nations may have something to do with this phenomenon. Although it may not be plausible because they're so small and weak, they're still a possibility." Just as England finished some noise was heard above them before four small nations tumbled out of the air vent. When they had stood up and dusted themselves off, everyone recognized the pudgy, innocent faces. Sealand, Seborga, and Ladonia were standing up proudly, while Wy looked like she simply went along because she was bored.

"Huh? Seborga what are you doing away from home? I told you to just stay around the house and feed Gino." Italy had stood up and was now looking at Seborga before waltzing over and dropping some bus fare in his hand. "There! Now you can get home safe! Although, your friends can come over if they like! You can all have fun, what do you say?"

Seborga stared at him before grinning widely and shouted, "C'mon guys, let's go to my place! I think we have some leftover pasta in the fridge, and Gino will be real friendly with us!" So with that the micro nations ran out of the room, eager to play and be as loud as they wanted.

"So, back on topic here, anyone have other ideas?" Germany prompted after the doors were once again closed.

After a moment of silence, Latvia piped up, "I think it may have been Russia b-." Before he could finish, Estonia and Lithuania slapped their hands over his mouth looking over at Russia to see if he heard anything. Russia had a smile on, as usual but there was a visible purple aura around him.

"H-He meant may not have been Russia because he's so nice to us all the time!" finished Estonia nervously. Russia's aura faded away and he looked similar to a happy mushroom. "A-And I don't actually really know who it could've been because as far as I know nobody has a personal vendetta against ALL those nations, right?"

"Yeah, but who could hate the heroic United States of America?" Everybody stared at America, obviously not appreciating his sudden outburst. Then, all the countries' phones buzzed at around the same time.

Germany, taking lead as usual, announced it was probably the same e-mail to all of them and he would read it. Clearing his throat, he read out loud:

"_You guys are done figuring out what's missing, correct? Well, I don't suspect you'd know who's sending this e-mail. My IP address is untraceable, so don't even try that, swines. You're probably wondering why I've chosen those countries only to steal from, correct? Well I'll tell you. I have no reason. I'm simply plucking landmarks at random for the fun of it. But, I tire of being alone with no playmates. So, I will put an end to this game. Meet me twenty miles north of Magadan, Russia in an abandoned warehouse. There I will reveal where your precious landmarks are. Also, I recommend to only bring a minimal amount of people in your party, wouldn't want to wipe out all the countries in one go, hm? –Godforsaken Emptiness"_

Finishing the reading, Germany lifted his head up from the screen to look at all the nations. All their faces, every last one, were frozen in shock or anger, maybe even a mixture of the two. Germany nodded his head, and as if on cue the Axis Powers and Allied Forces stood up and marched to the front of the room.

"These countries know the fierceness of battle very well. They have proved many times over to me that they are capable and strong-willed. I have personally fought battle with a majority of them and know their strengths, weaknesses, and their histories. Now, instead of opposing each other, we come together to nullify this threat. The rest of the Soviet Union will be our back-up group_, _and the Nordics theirs. All other countries will disperse into groups of five and decide who will back who. However, some countries must remain. We will not let a single person wipe out the world, are we clear?" The remaining countries sitting at the table nodded at Germany's prompt. Germany turned to his new allies and looked them all over. They were the main fighting group. They were the head of the army, and so their group was the largest. Scanning each face left to right, Germany examined them: Russia, China, Canada, France, England, America, Italy, Japan, and Romano. Any more than that and the group would have been too obvious.

"Excuse me, but can't Romano stay here and be part of my back-up group?" Germany turned his head to look at the concerned Spaniard. "Mi amore can't handle this right now. I would prefer if I could protect him myself." Feeling sympathy for Spain, Germany allowed it and Romano was taken off the first group.

Turning back to his group, Germany announced, "We don't what we'll be up against, or how long we'll be there. Go back home and pack your bags, we'll meet back here in the evening and take a plane to Russia. We should arrive in Magadan in the morning. Now, disperse!" All the countries left the meeting room to prepare for the long journey ahead of them.

A/N: Yeah… Sorry this chapter is mostly dialogue and not very much description, but hey, at least I tried to paint the picture with words. I am very much aware that I did not mention all the countries in Hetalia and that's because it's very obvious in the first episode not all of them attend. That and it's sort of weird to Google "Kugelmugel landmarks" and I'm sorry if I spelled Magadan incorrectly but my Internet keeps blacking out and so I write this in between breaks. So that's why progress in this chapter is slow. And I'm also aware that I didn't mention all the micro-nations too. But I just sort of wanted to do the little ones in the episode with the royal marriage and Ladonia. If you're wondering, Gino is the actual name given to Itabby. And yes, I did put in a little Spamano so sorry if you don't ship it. I probably won't hint at any more pairings. If grammar is wrong, feel free to correct me in a PM or a review! But just a reminder that I don't have a beta so yeah… If you would like to beta any future stories or only this one, let me know in a PM! ow

Please leave a review stating who you think the culprit is, now that you've heard his letter to the countries! Thanks for reading this chapter! Next one probably tomorrow, Thursday, or Saturday! Actually… This story should be finished before the month ends, even though I start school Friday. (You would not believe the amount of green squiggles saying I typed fragments…)


	4. The Tension is Palpable

So the team found itself standing outside the Berlin Metropolitan Airport, making last minute adjustments to arrive in the Magadan Airport. It was nearly eleven in the evening, Germany's time, and Russia was already waiting at their destination. It was obvious most of the countries were drowsy, especially China and Japan. Each carried one medium sized suitcase with a lock on it and a small carry-on bag for small items such as pepper spray, keys, and cell phones. France, England, China, Japan, and Italy were slightly wobbly on their feet while Germany just tried to look as presentable as possible, even with slight bags under his eyes and disheveled hair. Ever punctual and hard-working, Germany rounded them up and explained what was going to happen.

"Alright, you already know why we're gathered here so I'm not going over that. However, there is a private plane waiting for us in a hangar to ensure the quickest path to Magadan. Before leaving, I will perform a check on everybody's luggage and carry-on. Although this is a private jet, carry-on size restrictions still apply. I've already checked both mine and Italy's supplies. Bringing food is highly advised for we don't know what is out there or how long we'll be away. Please do not eat this food before we set off for the culprit's lair because the plane will serve a good variety of food and once we arrive at the airport on Russia we'll head directly to a hotel I've already reserved. Try to adjust to the time zone change as quickly as possible for we'll stay one night at the hotel if we return from the lair, the manager fully understands my predicament and if we do not appear in ten days from now he will accept our back up with open arms. Now, if you are tired, please get all the sleep you can on the plane. The ride will last approximately ten hours and thirty minutes. Magadan is ten hours ahead of the time here, so once we arrive at about nine thirty in the morning here, it will be seven thirty in the evening there. Sleep is essential though so stay awake for a few hours on the plane as we set out the morning after we land. For this small stay we will find a small motel and two people will go to one room. Figure out your sleeping arrangements now. Although, at max, four people can stay in a room so if you like you can spend what may be your last night with a person you can tolerate. Are we clear?" Germany looked at the semicircle of serious faces as the nodded their heads.

After a quick check of luggage, which mostly contained extra clothes, food, water, and medications of all varieties, Germany led them all into the building. Meeting with an employee, they were quickly ushered out to the hangar. Their luggage was loaded into the cargo hold, and silently they boarded the plane. The seating arrangements were as follows:

Front of Plane

Italy-Germany| |Japan-China

England-Canada| |France-America

The seating arrangements were to prevent as much fighting as possible, even though there seemed to be a silent agreement to get along for now. Without a word, one by one the nations fell into a dreamless sleep, interrupted only by meal times.

England was the first to wake. There were still two hours left of the flight and his legs were stiff from being curled up. Groggily opening his eyes more while trying to gather his bearings he realized he was draped across the armrest with half his forearm in the aisle and his head resting on Canada's lap. Slowly lifting a numb hand to his left cheek he felt it was slightly cold. Casting a glance around the cabin, he noticed China's seat was empty and the seat belt light had just turned off. Well, turbulence surely isn't uncommon and it explained his awkward position. Pushing himself back to a sitting position, he stretched and heard a few satisfying pops followed by instant relief. At the same time, China pushed open the door to the lavatory rubbing his eye with a damp hand. _China would be the one to use the restroom without fear when it's so dark, wouldn't he? _No sooner than a moment after he had thought that, England saw the second lavatory door open and Italy stepped out with a content look on his face. China dragged his feet back to his seat before shifting and fetching a magazine from his carry-on. Italy skipped merrily to his seat, practically tripping over Germany's feet, before shaking said nation awake.

"Wow Germany! We're almost there can you believe it? And you never guess what I just did! I got over my fear of the darkness for a little while and when to the restroom all by myself without waking you up! It was sort of cold and lonely in there… But this time I had the good sense to pull up my pants before scrambling out so Switzerland can't shoot me! Wait, silly me! Switzerland can't possibly be on this plane!" Italy proceeded to whole-heartedly tell Germany exactly how his leak went in full detail. Slowly, Italy's chatter and giggles gently roused the other nations from their sleep.

"Man I am starving!" America bellowed out as soon as he had shaken the sleep from his system. A low rumble of laughter around the cabin lifted the mood a little and America stood to get himself a ham sandwich from the back. "Anybody else want something?" He was rewarded with silence for his kind gesture. Snatching a sandwich and filling a cup with water he marched back to his seat to scarf it all down. Somehow now that they were fully rested, the air seemed much lighter.

The feeling didn't last.

As soon as the stepped foot out of the airport under the safe canopy of the roof, they saw the white blanket of snow on the ground dotted with several dirt and mud stains along the road. Italy was going to shake out of his skin if he chattered any harder, Japan's nose and cheeks had already turned from their usual pale to a rosy pink from just seconds of exposure to the elements, China had the precaution to slip on his winter clothing beforehand and only the area around his eyes showed, France was wearing a stylish white fur coat accented with a few pale grey spots along the tail with a large blue knitted scarf, Germany had pulled his hood up and was blowing into his hands to keep warm, England was wearing a dark trench coat and a knitted red hat, Canada was wearing his usual garb, not too fazed by the weather, and America had worn a large overcoat, three pairs of sweatpants, mittens, hunting boots, and had begun to dig a snow cave already to preserve warmth. Looking down at his brother, Canada bent down to pluck him out of the already deep hole.

"No Alfred, you have to make it wider with a sturdy roof. Here, let me help." Canada put Kumajiro on the ground. "Kilimanjaro, dig." Kumajiro looked up at him as if to say, "Bitch what you talking about I ain't no work pet you hear me I'll rip you to fucking shreds. Wait what is that a salmon I see okay right on it boss master" before burrowing down into the snow at a vigorous pace. Fresh snow was always setting on top of the cave, so the roof was taken care of. Germany looked back at the two twins before lifting both of them up under his arms.

"Stay inside until Russia comes because it's obvious these two idiots can't control themselves around snow." The countries retreated back into the warm building and waited for around ten minutes. Finally, Russia pulled up in a large pickup truck with Lithuania sitting shotgun.

Russia gave them a bright smile and simply stated, "Hop in the back, it'll be a bumpy ride." The freezing nations glanced at each other, wondering how the wind chill would feel before deciding huddling together for warmth was an option. Walking as a group to the back, they found Russia was caring enough to put a blanket on the floor. Or course, they could only tell by the small bit of wool trim sticking out from a thick layer of snow. Sighing, one by one they climbed on the truck and huddled together. China demanded the spot closest the center because of "elder's rights" and pushed America and Canada to the edges. This was going to be a long ride.

After approximately twenty minutes of cursing, shoving, and crawling all over each other, the group made it to a small motel. The sleeping arrangements were agreed to be Germany, Italy, Japan, and China in one room, France, England, America, and Canada in another room, and Russia and Lithuania in the last room. Lithuania would be stationed a bit away from the warehouse and immediately call the next back up patrol if they were defeated.

For dinner they had takeout Chinese food, but none of them really had much of an appetite.

"So… What will happen if we all fail?" England has momentarily stopped poking at his rice with a fork to ask this question. The answer hung in the atmosphere, "Whatever we do, don't think about the worst case scenario." Even though nobody wanted to, they all envisioned seeing their allies beaten up, broken, and left to die on the concrete floor. Silently, France got up and excused himself to the restroom.

"Haha! Well guys no use thinking negative! How about we all get rested for our big, big, big day tomorrow, huh?" America stood up and stretched his arms above his head. He was the only one that had managed to finish his food. He lent Canada a hand and they nodded at each other before scooping England and France into their arms bridal style and ran to their room. The other nations stared at the door long after they left, confused by the sudden move before Russia and Lithuania decided to follow their example and leave.

In the FACE family's room, an argument was in full swing.

"You bloody gits what was that about?!" England was seething at his two former colonies.

"Well, Canada and I kind of agreed that if anything weird happened we'd try and brighten up the mood by doing something silly! So… Forgive us?" America and Canada looked at France and England with wide, hopeful grins on their faces. England and France gave each other a sideways look before begrudgingly forgiving them. "Great, now we can all head to sleep! Nighty night, guys!" And the lights flicked off.

"_I'll teach you tomorrow to mess with the British Empire, bloody git…"_

A/N: Woops missed my update date. Oh well school started so yeah I can't write this as often so meh. And I'm thinking… The huge battle thing will be… One chapter is third person for the beginning, and several short chapters from different characters POVs detailing what their witnessing. There will be something special coming up… Well, please review telling me who you think the culprit is! Remember, it could be anyone, including micronations or even 2Ps!


	5. Blood Will be Spilled for Peace

They woke up bright and early the next day.

The weak dawn morning light glistened off the snow and trickled through the blinds. Japan blearily opened his eyes and propped himself up on one elbow. Checking the clock, he saw it was 6:25 AM. Sitting all the way up, he ran a hand through his hair and spied China in the corner already dressed and reading a book.

"Oh, Japan! It's about time you got up! Aiyah, you three are so lazy, sleeping in like that! While you sleep I already prepare breakfast over there." China motioned to the dresser and there were little boxes of sweet milk with straws and egg custards. "Straight from my vacation home I built outside!" Japan jumped out of the bed at threw open the blinds, waking Germany and Italy in the process, and looked outside. Sure enough, a Chinatown was right there. Japan just closed the blinds before going to eat his breakfast; he was used to this nonsense by now.

"Ve, what's for breakfast Japan?" Italy was still half asleep and sauntering over to the restroom for his morning activities.

"China-san brought breakfast for us, Italy-kun. We have sweet milk and egg custards. Now excuse me I must brush my teeth." Japan walked to the restroom area after letting Italy pass in front of him to the toilet. Germany awkwardly scooted into the closet and changed from his nightshirt to his green military uniform. As soon as Japan stepped out of the restroom, he went in but veered to the toilet when he saw Italy was still brushing his teeth. By the time Germany had started to eat breakfast, Japan had already laced up his boots and packed away his bags. Once ready, Germany marched down the outside corridor to Russia's room and knocked.

Lithuania woke up to a cold bucket of snow on his face.

"Wake up Toris~ a new day awaits us! I've already prepared some cabbage stew for breakfast and milk from big sister Ukraine~!" Russia was smiling and holding an empty bucket that once contained snow. Russia was fully clothed and judging by his breath, had already eaten. Lithuania checked the clock. 6: 39 AM. Sighing he pulled himself out of bed and brushed his teeth. When he was eating breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Standing up at looking through the peephole, he saw it was Germany. Quickly he unlocked the door and pulled the door open.

"Hello Germany, you ready to go?"

"Ja, are you two ready? We can come back once we've checked on America and them." Germany pointed his thumb in at the end of the corridor and looked off to the side with a grimace as he thought about the chaos happening in their room.

"No Germany, there's no need for that. I just have to finish eating and we'll both be right out. Russia has already packed the bags!" Lithuania turned back around and drank the rest of the cabbage stew, throwing the Styrofoam bowl in the trash along with his plastic fork. "We're set!" Russia and Lithuania walked down to Germany's room to fetch Italy, Japan, and China before meeting Germany at the FACE family's room. Germany put his ear against the door and heard the expected yelling coming from inside. This time, instead of knocking politely, he pounded against the door with his forearm until someone answered.

England reached up to rub his eye but found he couldn't move. Canada was currently resting his head on the side of England's stomach and had successfully pinned his arms down. It certainly didn't help he was as heavy, maybe even heavier, as America.

"Hey, Canada, do you mind getting off of me?" England squirmed a bit to help wake Canada.

"Hm? Oh, sorry England…" Canada slowly sat up and stretched. "Might as well wake up now, huh?" England had also sat up and nodded while checking the clock, 6:00 AM on the dot.

"Alright Canada, you go wash up while I dress. We can head out and buy breakfast afterwards. Those two won't be waking up anytime soon." England motioned towards the two snoring nations on the other bed. After both were dressed, ten minutes had passed and England opened the door. "Well Canada, I found where we're buying breakfast. Looks like China needed to build another vacation home." Canada looked up from the foot of the bed where he was lacing his boots. England saw his eyes brighten and the next thing he knew Canada had scooped him up again and was sprinting down the corridor and out the motel's front doors.

"Canada, what are you doing?!" Despite his protests, England still held onto Canada's neck for dear life.

"I've always wanted to go to a Chinatown! Alfred never has time to take me places as 'simple' as a Chinatown~. I'm just really excited!" As Canada finished he leaped into the air just as they reached their destination. Canada excitedly dragged England from one shop to the other in a hurry, looking for the most delicious food he could. "So this is stuff Chinese people really eat? Wow!" England felt his expression soften as he saw the younger's enthusiasm.

"Come on Canada, just pick enough for the four of us, we need to get home." Canada looked back before looking down at the ground.

"Sorry, I was just a little too enthusiastic there… Come on; help me by carrying this milk." They ended up purchasing four milk and butter buns with some Wahaha milk drink. When they made it home America was dressed and ready while France was still pulling on pants. "We have breakfast!" Canada cheerfully exclaimed while holding up one of the buns.

"Alright, thanks you guys!" America helped Canada with the bags and pulled out his pocketknife to slice open the packages they came in. "Dig in guys!" They were all in high spirits and quickly finished their breakfast. As usual, an argument broke out between England and France. About what? Nothing, as usual. When they took a break for air, there was a pounding at the door.

"I'll get it!" Canada hopped up onto his feet and opened the door. "Hello Germany!"

"Hallo, Canada. Are you four ready to head out yet?"

"Yes, we have been, actually! Oh, and China the buns from your place are delicious!" Canada opened the door all the way and called for the other three to come out.

"Alright, let's move out!" Germany checked out of the motel and they all piled back into Russia's pick up for the journey to the warehouse.

When they arrived, they saw the area around the warehouse was practically a scrambled mess of shrapnel, spare parts, and pointed metal pieces sticking out in the snow. Russia parked his pickup behind a large upright slab of stone and ordered Lithuania to stay in the back to watch for trouble. Germany did a quick head count then gave the command to advance toward the warehouse full speed.

The nations burst in through the rusty metal doors to see the inside of the warehouse was a wreck, just like the outside. Slightly the countries let down their guard and walked inside a bit farther to investigate. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut and locked with a loud bang. Italy immediately made a beeline for the door and jiggled the lock.

"Germany, the door! It's locked shut I can't get it open!" Italy had started to frantically shake the lock, the noise produced deafening.

"Italy, stop!" At the sound of Germany's voice Italy stopped with tears in his eyes. "It doesn't matter Italy, if we defeat the culprit we can find another way to get out so please calm down!" Italy slowly released the lock and crept back to the group.

Dim lights flickered to life and illuminated to room. In the center, a small envelope sat daintily on a cold metal table. Hesitantly, Germany stepped forward and grabbed it.

"It says… Addressed to the Nations. _Dear Gathered Countries, Yes, you're in my lair now, correct? The door has been locked from the outside and all cellphone signals have been cut off. The only means of escape lie behind the door in the back of this room. Although, I bet you can't even make it there. Say hello and feed my friends for me, will you?" _Germany tucked the letter away for future reference and took a moment to scan the room for any abnormalities. On each side of the room, there were five dust covered metal doors with nothing special about them. Leaning against the walls, there were several small broken planks that could be used as weapons for any kind of attack and at the end of the room, just like the letter said, was a metal door with a fresh coat of paint on it. Germany took one step forward and suddenly, a great weight was on him. Staring his assailant in the eye, he found it was… A bald eagle? His ears opened to the other screams coming from his allies.

China was on his back blocking pecks from a red crowned crane with his forearms, a few meters away Russia was curled on his side holding a Russian bear at bay with one arm but struggling, Canada lay with his arms collapsed on his face as a Canadian horse stood directly on his rib cage, ready to apply more force at any time, Japan was having his own troubles with another red crowned crane, Italy was curled in fetal position with his hand covering his neck covered in bite marks as an Italian wolf circled him, blood coating its muzzle, England's face was covered in blood from a large scratch on his forehead inflicted by the lion crouched before him, France was holding a Gallic rooster by its talon away from his face looking to Germany for hope, America was being chased by a golden eagle only a foot above his head. Germany swiped the eagle away from his face, which was already covered in several wounds, and wondered how the animals had seemingly appeared from nowhere when he spotted the well camouflaged cages along the walls. Grasping the eagle firmly by the base of its wings he threw it into a medium sized cage and locked the door. France noticed this, and did the same with the rooster. America had stopped running and rolled under the eagle and grabbed it talons, placing it gently back in the cage. Looking over in Canada's direction he flung himself at the horse's neck and caught it off guard. The horse stood on its hind legs and prepared to bring its hooves back down but before it could America flung it into a large wooden cage.

"Canada!" America knelt down beside his brother and hugged him close. Quickly he zipped off Canada's jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, checking for bruises. There were two located directly above his lungs. America shook Canada's head, willing him to wake up and say he's okay.

Canada started to stir and cracked open his eyes and looked at America's teary face. "Alfred… I'm okay, I just need some air; I'll be fine…" Canada sat up with some difficulty, buttoned up his shirt, and zipped his jacket back up. He tightly embraced his brother before stumbling onto his feet and tackled the Russian bear without hesitation. The bear stepped to the side away from Russia from the force of the impact. Russia scrambled up and lifted the bear high into the air before tossing it into a nearby cage. He gave Canada a quick smile and high five then left to snap the red crowned crane's neck that was holding China.

Germany was at a standoff with the Italian wolf before pulling two sausages of wurst out of his pocket into a cage. The wolf perked up and leaped into the cage without hesitation as the door closed behind it. Italy looked up and stopped shaking when he no longer felt the wolf's presence. He stood and watched Germany stalk over to the red crowned crane around Japan and put it back in a cage. America was petting the lion as England looked at him with a mix of confusion and his usual disgust. Slowly America led the lion back into the cage.

"That was way too easy…" America mumbled before his breath hitched and he was dragged into one of the side rooms. One by one, the other nations were pulled into separate side rooms and not a trace of them, except their blood, was to be found.

A/N: Yay two chapters in a day to make up for the missed update day. I have no idea when I'll update again to be honest but probably not too long from now as the next few chapters will be shortish and be in the POV of the characters. No I am not putting any pairings in here, sorry if it seemed that way at all. Please review with who you think the culprit is!

Yes, they had to battle their country's national animal.

POV Next Chapter: Japan


	6. The Past Will Haunt You

_It's dark in here…_

I can't see a thing. _The door!_ I turn quickly and grope for the latch, to find no door. No wall. There is only nothing. I back away slowly but I trip backwards and fall. Squeezing my eyes shut, I braced for impact. But I felt nothing. Cracking open my eyes, I see I'm surrounded by bamboo stalks. _This is… the same forest where I was lost… and found. _

"Hey! Are you okay there, aru?" I turn my head toward the familiar voice and see China stepping out of the bamboo. _He is so big…_ "Who would leave a child out here alone? Wait… This must be the new nation Japan!" _New nation? Maybe China is not the one who's big but me who is small. Yes, that is probably it._ Large, aged hands come to scoop me up and in a flash the whole scene changes. Suddenly the positions are turned. China is kneeling on the ground, eyes hopeless. He looks like he is silently wishing for death. What could be causing him so much pain? Then I feel it in my hand. I am no longer a child. My katana, unsheathed and bloodied, rests in my tightly clenched hand. I can summon no anger at myself for what I have obviously done. I can't feel any pity for China. I simply feel… happy. Elated I won. And I know exactly what time period it is then. _The Nanjing Massacre._

The world spins and I am at Germany's house. It's the first time I met Italy. Italy's running towards me after he finishes his chat with a quite beautiful woman. I know what is coming next. He's going to hug. I brace for impact but yet again it never comes. It's the end of World War II. The last meeting we held as the Axis Powers. Everybody looked so sullen.

"Japan… You could've won it. For us…" I couldn't believe my ears. Was that Italy? He usually never blamed anybody!

"Ja… You could've…" Germany now too?! What was happening? I can't remember any of this!

_Wait._

_I can't remember it._

_It never happened!_

In that clear moment of insight, the room was illuminated by a bright flash and I could see. It was the room in the warehouse. Squinting against the brightness of the light overhead, I saw some kind of gas in the air. _I have to get out of here! My mind is foggy… I just know I'm afraid, but afraid of what?_

I burst out of the room, breathing fresh air. My mind is clear now. _We must capture the enemy._

A/N: Sorry about not updating in like 84 years. I joined a MAP and I stopped in the middle of drawing to write this. Short chapter because I know most people hate first person POVs. Tell me who you think the culprit is!


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